Chrysanthemum plant named ‘Yoolivia’

ABSTRACT

A distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plant named ‘Yoolivia’, characterized by its upright, mounded and rounded plant habit; freely branching habit; dense and full plants; uniform and freely flowering habit; duplex-type inflorescences; orange-colored ray florets; and natural season flowering in mid-October in the Northern Hemisphere.

BOTANICAL CLASSIFICATION/CULTIVAR DESIGNATION

Chrysanthemum×morifolium cultivar Yoolivia.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar ofChrysanthemum plant, botanically known as Chrysanthemum×morifolium,commercially known as a garden-type Chrysanthemum and hereinafterreferred to by the name ‘Yoolivia’.

The new cultivar is a product of a planned breeding program conducted bythe Inventor in Salinas, Calif. and Alva, Fla. The objective of thebreeding program is to create new garden-type Chrysanthemum cultivarshaving inflorescences with desirable inflorescence forms, attractivefloret colors and good garden performance.

The new Chrysanthemum originated from a cross made in December, 1999, inSalinas, Calif., of the Chrysanthemum cultivar Yogretchen, disclosed ina U.S. Plant patent application Ser. No. 10/099,272 filed concurrently,as the female, or seed, parent with the Chrysanthemum cultivar Megan,disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 8,756, as the male, or pollen, parent.The new Chrysanthemum was discovered and selected by the Inventor as asingle flowering plant within the progeny of the stated cross grown in acontrolled environment in Alva, Fla. in November, 2000. The selection ofthis plant was based on its desirable inflorescence form, attractive rayfloret color and good garden performance.

Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar by terminal cuttings taken in acontrolled environment in Alva, Fla. since January, 2001, has shown thatthe unique features of this new Chrysanthemum are stable and reproducedtrue to type in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The cultivar Yoolivia has not been observed under all possibleenvironmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat withvariations in environment such as temperature, daylength and lightintensity, without, however, any variance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined tobe the unique characteristics of ‘Yoolivia’. These characteristics incombination distinguish ‘Yoolivia’ as a new and distinct cultivar:

1. Upright, mounded and rounded plant habit.

2. Freely branching habit; dense and full plants.

3. Uniform and freely flowering habit.

4. Duplex-type inflorescences.

5. Orange-colored ray florets.

6. Natural season flowering in mid-October in the Northern Hemisphere.

In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Alva, Fla., plants of the newChrysanthemum differed from plants of the female parent, the cultivarYogretchen, in the following characteristics:

1. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum were larger than plants of thecultivar Yogretchen.

2. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum had conspicuous disc florets whereasplants of the cultivar Yogretchen did not have conspicuous disc florets.

3. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum flowered about 3.5 weeks later thanplants of the cultivar Yogretchen when grown under natural seasonconditions.

In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Alva, Fla., plants of the newChrysanthemum differed from plants of the male parent, the cultivarMegan, in the following characteristics:

1. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum were larger than plants of thecultivar Megan.

2. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum flowered more uniformly than plantsof the cultivar Megan.

3. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum and the cultivar Megan differed inray floret color as plants of the cultivar Megan had purple-colored rayflorets.

4. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum flowered about two weeks later thanplants of the cultivar Megan when grown under natural season conditions.

Plants of the new Chrysanthemum can be compared to plants of thecultivar Orange Ozenda, not patented. In side-by-side comparisonsconducted in Alva, Fla., plants of the new Chrysanthemum differed fromplants of the cultivar Orange Ozenda in the following characteristics:

1. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum were larger than plants of thecultivar Orange Ozenda.

2. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum had larger inflorescences than plantsof the cultivar Orange Ozenda.

3. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum flowered about two weeks earlier thanplants of the cultivar Orange Ozenda when grown under natural seasonconditions.

Plants of the new Chrysanthemum can also be compared to plants of thecultivar Aldo, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 10,216. In side-by-sidecomparisons conducted in Alva, Fla., plants of the new Chrysanthemumdiffered from plants of the cultivar Aldo in the followingcharacteristics:

1. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum were larger than plants of thecultivar Aldo.

2. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum had more disc florets perinflorescence than plants of the cultivar Aldo.

3. Ray florets of plants of the new Chrysanthemum did not fade asquickly as ray florets of plants of the cultivar Aldo.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

The accompanying photographs illustrate the overall appearance of thenew Chrysanthemum. These photographs show the colors as true as it isreasonably possible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type.Colors in the photographs may differ slightly from the color valuescited in the detailed botanical description which accurately describethe colors of the new Chrysanthemum.

The photograph at the top of the sheet comprises a side perspective viewof a typical flowering plant of ‘Yoolivia’.

The photograph at the bottom of the sheet comprises a close-up view oftypical inflorescences of the cultivar ‘Yoolivia’.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

In the following description, color references are made to The RoyalHorticultural Society Colour Chart, 1995 Edition, except where generalterms of ordinary dictionary significance are used. The followingobservations and measurements describe plants grown in afiberglass-covered greenhouse in Alva, Fla. under practices whichapproximate those generally used in commercial garden-type Chrysanthemumproduction. One cutting was directly stuck in a 15.25-cm container inNovember, 2001, and exposed to long day/short night conditions. Plantswere pinched once about five weeks after sticking. About one week afterthe pinch, the photoinductive short day/long night treatments werestarted. During the production of the plants, day temperatures averagedabout 27° C. and night temperatures averaged about 21° C. Measurementsand numerical values represent averages for typical flowering plants.

Botanical classification: Chrysanthemum×morifolium cultivar Yoolivia.

Commercial classification: Duplex-type garden Chrysanthemum.

Parentage:

Female, or seed, parent.—Chrysanthemum×morifolium cultivar Yogretchen,disclosed in a U.S. Plant Patent application filed concurrently.

Male, or pollen, parent.—Chrysanthemum×morifolium cultivar Megan,disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 8,756.

Propagation:

Type.—Terminal tip cuttings.

Time to initiate roots.—About four days at 21° C.

Time to produce a rooted cutting.—About ten to twelve days at 21° C.

Root description.—White, fine and fibrous.

Rooting habit.—Freely branching.

Plant description:

Appearance.—Perennial herbaceous duplex-type garden Chrysanthemum.Inverted triangle. Stems initially upright, then somewhat outwardlyspreading giving a uniformly mounded to rounded appearance to the plant.Freely branching with about seven lateral branches forming after thepinch.

Plant height.—About 16.5 cm.

Plant diameter.—About 22 cm.

Lateral branches.—Length: About 14 cm. Diameter: About 3 mm. Internodelength: About 1 cm. Aspect: Mostly upright and somewhat outwardlyspreading. Texture: Pubescent. Color: 146A.

Foliage description.—Leaf arrangement: Alternate. Length: About 4.1 cm.Width: About 3.2 cm. Apex: Cuspidate. Base: Truncate. Margin: Palmatelylobed, sinuses mostly divergent. Texture: Both surfaces, pubescent;veins prominent on lower surface. Color: Young foliage, upper surface:Much darker than 147A. Young foliage, lower surface: Darker than 147B.Fully expanded foliage, upper surface: Darker than 147A. Fully expandedfoliage, lower surface: Close to 147B. Venation, upper surface: Darkerthan 147A. Venation, lower surface: Close to 147B. Petiole length: About1.75 cm. Petiole diameter: About 1.5 mm. Petiole color, upper surface:Close to 147A. Petiole color, upper surface: Close to 147B.

Inflorescence description:

Appearance.—Duplex-type inflorescence form with elongated oblong-shapedray florets. Inflorescences borne on terminals above foliage, arisingfrom leaf axils. Disk and ray florets arranged acropetally on acapitulum. About 8 inflorescences per lateral.

Flowering response.—Under natural season conditions, plants flower inmid-October in the Northern Hemisphere and continue to flower for atleast three weeks depending on weather conditions.

Inflorescence bud (before showing color).—Height: About 3 mm. Diameter:About 4 mm. Shape: Oblate. Phyllary color: Close to 147A.

Inflorescence size.—Diameter: About 4.4 cm. Depth (height): About 1.6cm. Disc diameter: About 7.5 mm. Receptacle diameter: About 3 mm.

Ray florets.—Shape: Elongated oblong. Length: About 2.1 cm. Corolla tubelength: About 2 mm. Width: About 4 mm. Apex: Mostly acute. Margin:Entire. Texture: Smooth, glabrous, satiny. Surface: Concave to flat.Orientation: Initially upright, then perpendicular to the peduncle.Number of ray florets per inflorescence: About 115. Color: When opening,upper and lower surfaces: 9A overlain with 46A; overall tonality, closeto 163A. Fully opened, upper surface: 9A faintly overlain with 46A;overall tonality, close to 163A to 163B. Fully opened, lower surface: 9Ato 9B faintly underlain with 46A.

Disc florets.—Shape: Tubular, apex dentate. Length: About 4.5 mm. Width:Apex: About 1.5 mm. Base: About 1 mm. Number of disc florets perinflorescence: About 68. Color: Immature: Close to 163A. Mature: Apex:Close to 163A. Mid-section: Close to 144C. Base: 155D.

Phyllaries.—Length: About 6 mm. Width: About 2 mm. Shape: Ligulate.Apex: Acute. Base: Truncate. Margin: Entire. Texture: Upper surface,smooth and waxy; lower surface, pubescent. Color, upper surface: 146A.Color, lower surface: Close to 147A.

Peduncle.—Aspect: Flexible, angled about 40 to 45° from vertical.Length: First peduncle: About 2.6 cm. Fourth peduncle: About 2.8 cm.Diameter: About 2 mm. Texture: Pubescent. Color: 146A.

Reproductive organs.—Androecium: Present on disc florets only. Anthercolor: Close to 12A. Pollen: None observed. Gynoecium: Present on bothray and disc florets. Stigma color: Close to 9A.

Seed.—Seed production has not been observed.

Disease/pest resistance: Plants of the new Chrysanthemum have not beenshown to be resistant to pathogens and pests common to Chrysanthemums.

Garden performance: Plants of the new Chrysanthemum have been observedto be tolerant to rain, wind and temperatures ranging from 0 to higherthan 40° C.

It is claimed:
 1. A new and distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plantnamed ‘Yoolivia’, as illustrated and described.